A few weeks ago Kimm from Reinvented posted a picture on Pinterest of a knife block made from a few books and I fell in love. It was so gorgeous and unique and I had to make one for our kitchen. Just gluing the books together didn’t work to well for us though. I found that some of our knives tore the pages. Probably because I use those knives as screw drivers when I’m to lazy to fetch the real thing 😎 Cleaning the knife block was also a bit of a problem. Those sharp knife points keep popping out the bottom and stabbing me. Long story short we had to make some changes to accommodate our bent, all purpose knives. If you’re keen to make one here’s how we did it using old damaged books, skewers and plywood.

Old books, skewers and plywood

We decided to use bamboo skewers because I’d read somewhere that they help keep the knives sharp and I do have a tendency to use them for some weird things so I’m hoping it works. We carefully removed the pages from the books using a craft knife. I have a HUGE respect for books so I’m saving the pages for another project. Just cutting the covers off made me cringe – does that happen to you too?

Carefully remove the pages

Using the pages from the books we drew a template of the bottom and sides of the book pages on the plywood.

Use the pages as a template

We cut the plywood using a craft knife and gave the plywood bits three coats of outdoor Mod Podge to seal them and keep any moisture out. We also applied Mod Podge to the outside of the books to make it easier to clean.

Seal with outdoor Mod Podge

Once the Mod Podge had dried, we glued the shorter plywood piece on the bottom, inside cover of the book and the longer piece to the side of the book to form a box.

Attach the plywood and clamp down

We let the glue dry overnight just in case and then filled the “book boxes” with skewers. Lots and lots of skewers. I think we used about 750 in total for all four books.

We marked where the skewers needed to be cut for each book and then cut them using scissors or whatever sharp cutting implement we could find.

Cut the skewers to size

WARNING!!!! The skewers bits fly all over the place. Mind your eyes and be prepared to play pick up sticks for days to come. We cut the skewers separately for each book, so we didn’t end up with shorter and longer pieces all muddled up. After you have a blister the size of Africa on your thumb, glue the books together, insert the skewers into the books, tie a bit of raffia around them and add the knives.

Just insert the knives

Sooooo pretty.

Old books and skewer knife block

Old books knife block

I’m really happy with how it turned out. What do you think? Does it work for you?

Karen Selberg-Lavelle

Knife storage tip. Insert the knives with the cutting side away from you. This doesn't put as much pressure on that side of the blade when sliding it into the knife holder . That keeps the blade from dulling. Keep a Hone (looks like a tapered metal stick with a handle. You have seen them around) close to your knives as a reminder to use it after every so many cuts to keep the blade edge straight. It becomes ever so slightly curled after so many chops or slicing's. That makes for a more difficult cut or chop.
This knife block is such a wonderful looking block. Check out local used book stores or thrift stores for cook books.

acraftymix

Isabella

Firstly- The creativity is prepossessing.
Secondly-Its a great way to have something look really professional but at such cheap cost (That's a good thing)
Lastly-What a fun way to DIY an old book into something to fashionable

Rachel Offley

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Michael

Well done . Just a thought that would make cutting the skewers easier is to either tie into a bundle with cable ties or wrap in cling wrap and cut all together especially if you have access to a band saw

acraftymix

Great idea! I collect old cookbooks. Several of them are pretty damaged. Plan to use your idea. Did you glue the bottom of the skewers into the wood box? I was wondering why the skewers wouldn't come out each time you pull out a knife.

acraftymix

Awesome Carol, glad you like it. We didn't glue the skewers in, I wanted to make sure I could take them out to clean the knife block and they stay in even though some of our knives are a bit damaged. Let me know how yours works out, I'd love to see a pic if you wouldn't mind sharing.

acraftymix

[…] If you like the look of vintage books and are looking for interesting way to encorporate them into your home in useful and decorative ways this knife block could be for you. Pop on over to the link Michelle sent in to her blog A Crafty Mix for the step by step tutorial on how to make a recycled vintage book knife block. […]

acraftymix

Michelle you are a genius. When I first saw this I thought you had stuck the knives in the book. and I thought that will not work. But you are smarter than me. This is brilliant and it looks so cool! Pinning.

acraftymix

Waldorf

acraftymix

Welcome

Hi, my name is Michelle or Mix to my friends. The hubby and I are so glad you popped in for a visit. We’re two IT geeks who freakin’ love making things in our spare time. And if we can re-cycle something at the same time, then we’re super happy. I hope our little blog inspires you to try do-it-yourself, so grab a cuppa and stay for a while.